The Cutthroat Prince (William of Alamore Series Book 2)

by C. J. R. Isely

  Once they left, Rowan rolled his eyes, climbing into his bed. “They just think they’re fun because they aren’t mature.”

  “Bold words from you,” Will commented dryly, stifling a yawn and sinking into his own bed. Despite the tangle of thoughts, the questions running through his head, he was asleep even before the last candle had been extinguished, plunging all of them into darkness.

  ***

  It was an unwelcome surprise when Will, waking before all the others, rushed to the stairs that led to the healing chamber and found them again blocked. He was running so quickly he almost tripped over the man seated on the bottom most step, an exhausted bored expression on his face.

  The man yelped in surprise when Will appeared, scrambling upright to block the corridor. Red-faced with embarrassment, the soldier blinked down at Will through a sheet of unkept white-blond hair.

  “No one’s permitted up here without permission of the King,” the soldier said after a moment.

  “Oh.” Will took a step back, shoulders sagging. “Right, sorry about that.”

  The soldier nodded and Will could feel his gaze burning into his back as he crossed toward the dinner hall again, head hung in disappointment. Not wanting to try to get more sleep, Will chose to wait at the empty squire table for his friends. When they had arrived, bright and early thanks to Novin extracting his revenge before morning patrol and beating Rowan with a pillow to wake him, Will explained the guard at the steps.

  “Blimey!” Rowan whistled. “They must really be determined to keep you out. Wonder what the Ranger knows that we’re not allowed to know.”

  “Probably a lot,” Colin pointed out. “But it won’t be long till you can go see him, Will.”

  “Tomorrow,” Will grimaced. “Seems forever.”

  “Unless…” Rowan said slyly, rubbing his palms together.

  Colin groaned. “Is this going to be a stupid plan?”

  “Not stupid!” Rowan snapped. “My plans are brilliant. This was a trial, a gauntlet thrown at our feet. The battle cry of Ross’s challenge still echoes in our ears!”

  “Oh, don’t start this, Rowan.” Colin rolled his eyes.

  Ignoring Colin, Rowan thrust a fist into the air. “And we shall heed its call, accept our destinies, and get past Ross’s guard!”

  Heartened by Rowan’s attitude, Will started plotting ways up the stairs with Rowan in an undertone through breakfast, ignoring Colin’s doubtful snorts and grumbling at their ever more drastic ideas. It was only slightly disappointing that Colin wasn’t interested in joining in. Will imagined that if any of them were to have a plan that would actually work, it’d be Colin. Still, he maintained his stony disapproval and didn’t offer more than condoning scowls when Will asked his opinion.

  “Depending on who guards next, maybe I can tempt them away with some excuse? Say something like the barn is on fire?” Rowan offered. “Then you can get up the steps, talk to the Ranger, and we will all be happy again.”

  “I don’t know the guard who was there this morning.” Will shook his head. “And if it’s someone we know, that won’t work. They’ll not trust you, no offence.”

  “Don’t you think it’d make more sense not to end up in a load of trouble?” Colin asked at last.

  “Don’t go shooting down adept style and skills,” Rowan replied waspishly.

  After their first practice of the morning Will and Rowan slipped away from the others under the pretext of needing to grab practice swords from the weapons shed. Once out of sight of the jousting arena, they broke into a sprint, racing through the double doors. Inside they immediately skidded to a halt, Rowan swearing under his breath.

  Standing at the base of the stairs, brows raised and sneering, Laster’s amber eyes locked on the two squires.

  “Don’t you have lessons to attend?” Laster demanded.

  Will turned away. “Let’s leave it, Row.”

  “Hold on, I’ve got a plan,” Rowan hissed back, narrowing his eyes at Laster.

  Laster cleared his throat and Rowan turned toward the knight, not bothering to explain himself to Will. “Well, we would but…” Rowan shoved his hands into his pockets, sidling forward. Will thought he looked the picture of fake innocence. “We wanted to come check on you, see if you’re doing okay with guarding and all and-”

  With a sudden lunge, Rowan launched himself at Laster, reaching to grab the knight around the middle in a tackle. Unfortunately for Rowan, he seemed to have forgotten two small matters; that Laster was much bigger than him and that Laster was a fully trained knight.

  The knight stepped back, reaching out a hand to grab Rowan by the back of the tunic before he could collide with him. Snarling, Laster dropped Rowan to the ground with a crash, Rowan letting out another string of oaths.

  Will wasn’t sure whether to check on his friend or laugh and reached out a hand to support himself on the wall as Rowan climbed up, brushing the dust from his tunic. “Excellent, had to check, and your instincts are on point, I might add. Now, Will and I’ll just be off, leave you to it then, shall we?”

  “Not so fast,” Laster snarled. The sneer had been replaced with a look of absolute fury. He stepped from the stair, towering over Rowan.

  “Actually, forgive us, Sir, but we’ve got to do something really quick,” Rowan said, turning to Will.

  “And what would that be?” Laster hissed dangerously.

  “RUN!” Rowan sprang back down the corridor toward Will. Will threw open the doors and both boys bolted into the courtyard, around the corner, and launched themselves into the shed of practice weapons. Rowan barred the door and Will sank against the wall, panting. Outside in the courtyard they could hear Laster swearing at the top of his lungs.

  “So.” Rowan flipped his hair from his face, grimacing. “Not quite as successful as we might have hoped.”

  Unable to help himself, Will started laughing. “Alamore, Rowan, that was your brilliant plan? What was it? Get killed?” He doubled over, his stomach hurting with laughter. “First the carrots to his face, now you tackle him? Laster’s going to murder you!”

  “You know what, I didn’t think it quite through, but that’s the risk you take in brilliance!” Rowan announced, striking a post like he was holding a sword above his head. Will sank to the floor, choking on his laughter at the ridiculous antics of his friend. “Oh, knock it off, it was a good idea!” Rowan scoffed, reaching to cuff Will in the back of his head. “Though,” Rowan said, sinking to the floor as well, stifling his own mirth. “I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to show my face again.”

  “We’ll have to go into hiding forever now.”

  “Maybe he’ll forget?” Rowan asked, hopefully.

  Will wiped his streaming eyes on his sleeve and pushed himself to his feet, shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure he’s never going to forgive or forget.”

  “Well, someone ought to tell him it’s not good to hold onto anger that way.”

  Still grinning, Will reached for three of the practice swords; their excuse to even leave training in the first place. “I’ll let you tell him that but, come on. If we don’t get back soon we’ll be in worse trouble still.”

  “Fair point,” Rowan chuckled. “Alamore, I know I should be worried, but it was so worth it to see his face.”

  Will and Rowan lost no time in recounting Rowan’s wild attack to Colin when they got back to where he waited in the jousting arena, lounging in Strider’s saddle. Despite his best attempts to be disapproving, Colin shook with suppressed mirth.

  “Wish I’d seen that!”

  “Told you that you would regret missing out on this adventure, this quest,” Rowan ranted, swinging back onto Naja. “But, no, you had to be the responsible one. Responsible ones are boring!”

  “Yeah, well the responsible one will live to be a knight,” Colin said, shaking his head and grinning. “But yeah, it might have been worth the risk to see that.”

  “I’ll have bruises for a month, I swear,” Rowan lamented, w
incing as he readjusted in the saddle. “Now I just want to go lie down.”

  “Hold on, didn’t you get any punishment?” Colin inquired, frowning.

  “Not a one,” Rowan said, sticking his chest out proudly. “Escaped without so much as a warning.”

  “And how did you do that?” Colin sounded dubious.

  “My charm.”

  Will snorted, settling onto Admere’s saddle. “Not hardly. We bolted. Ran like the blazes to get out of there and we hid out in the practice weapon shed.”

  “You realize you two are going to be in bigger trouble for that?”

  An image of Laster’s furious face flashed before Will’s eyes and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing again. “Worth it for the look on Laster’s face.”

  The sound of someone else laughing made the three squires turn. Kalia, Eldin, and Niet were approaching the fence. The two squires were leading their horses but Kalia, laughing at something Niet had said, was not leading a horse or even dressed for practice in a long blue-grey dress.

  At the gate, she raised a hand in farewell to them before trotting along the fence to stand by where Rockwood, Ross, and Haru were waiting for their squires to start practice. Will smirked, noticing even from this distance the red hue creep over Haru’s face when the Princess joined them.

  “They’re not practicing with us, are they?” asked Rowan, groaning. “Oh, come on, I was hoping we were about done.”

  “Don’t be a prat, Rowan,” Colin hissed under his breath

  “What? Come off it, that’s Serena’s squire! Even if she’s not a spy, she’s a git and honestly can’t say that her squire will be any better.”

  Though Will silently agreed with Rowan, he shrugged. “Honestly, practicing with Kelkor squires, even if Serena was a spy, would be safer than trying to tackle Laster.”

  Colin snorted. “He’s got a point, Row.”

  They stopped talking as Niet swung onto his palomino and trotted toward them, still beaming. Eldin, who seemed to shrink once in the saddle of her grey, was a half-step behind. Will was forcibly reminded of a small shadow in how the girl watched the older squire, concentration written over her face as she mirrored his movements.

  “You haven’t started on sword practice yet, have you?” Niet asked, drawing his horse to a halt beside Admere.

  “Not yet.” Rowan shook his head.

  “These two have been procrastinating,” Colin grumbled, rolling his eyes.

  On Niet’s far side, Eldin laughed. “Judging by that knight in the courtyard a bit ago, they’ve been doing more than just procrastinating.” Her grey eyes met Will’s and she beamed. “Did you really try to tackle a knight?”

  Feeling sheepish, and all too aware of Rowan smirking beside him, Will grinned. “Don’t bunch me in that. That was entirely Rowan.”

  Across the jousting field, Rockwood gave a piercing whistle and all three Alamore squires straightened to attention. “Are we going to practice or die of old age waiting on you lot?”

  “Both!” Rowan called back. Will noticed Eldin and Niet seemed taken aback by Rowan’s gall and even more surprised when Rockwood gave a bark of laughter.

  “Right then, Rowan, you’ve volunteered to be first. Eldin, how about you and Rowan get up here and face off.”

  “You heard him,” Niet said, jerking his chin in Rockwood’s direction and grinning at Eldin. “Go show the boys how to fight like a girl, eh?”

  “Just don’t kill me,” Rowan said, winking. “Come on, let’s get up there and show these lazy louts how to fight.”

  Eldin smiled mischievously. “I make no promises.” She moved her horse to trot forward with Rowan, out of the way of the other three squires.

  As they were riding away, Will noticed Rowan lean over, showing Eldin his hand. “Want to know how I got that killer scar? Bet you would’ve fainted because there was blood everywhere, and I know how ladies are with that sort of thing.”

  “So, you’re saying you fainted?” Eldin asked interestedly.

  Snorting with suppressed laughter, Will turned away from them, shaking his head. Beside him, Colin was frowning slightly, watching Eldin’s horse rather than Rowan’s antics. After a moment he turned to Niet, brow furrowed. “Isn’t that horse a bit big for Eldin?”

  Niet nodded, all traces of his smile vanishing. An icy tension filled the air and the older squire’s knuckles whitened on his reins. “He wasn’t meant to be her horse.”

  “He wasn’t?” Will asked, frowning. “Then what…” He stopped, wishing he could swallow his words again. Hadn’t they mentioned something about one of their knights falling in the journey?

  “Sir Paxrin was Eldin’s knight and…and my brother.” Niet turned to them, his face grim and dark eyes unreadable.

  “When we were told to leave Kelkor, he was our guard. The plan had been to wait for Revlan’s Ranger, but something happened, a message arrived at the castle, and Paxrin snuck us from the castle a week before we had planned.

  We met with the Ranger two days into our journey, along a mountain pass. It was that night. We were in the mountains, on a trail that we didn’t think anyone else would find but he found us and got worried. He tried to talk us off the trail, but we didn’t go… I argued with him even.

  That night, Eldin’s pony stumbled into a trap, and they attacked, rebels against the throne. Paxrin and the Ranger started fighting them while Kalia and I pulled Eldin out of the trap. By the time we’d freed her, there were too many of them. Paxrin ordered us to ride and…he was killed trying to defend us.” A spasm of pain flashed over the older squire’s face and he turned away, his eyes fixed unseeingly on Eldin and Rowan, now sparring from horseback, Rowan yelping each time Eldin struck toward him. “If the Ranger hadn’t been there we would have died. He managed to hold them off long enough for us to get Eldin on a horse then he came riding after us. After that, we followed the Ranger off any trails.”

  “I’m sorry,” Will muttered. Colin nodded beside him, green eyes filled with grief. Like Niet, he’d lost his own brother years before.

  Niet shook himself and straightened in his saddle, forcing a faint smile. “He died a warrior, defending Kalia and us, like a knight of Kelkor. But now it’s up to me, it’s up to me to see those two stay safe. I just wish I’d found out why we left the castle when we did, why he thought it was time we leave, you know?”

  “So, he didn’t ever tell you?” Will asked, frowning.

  “No.” Niet’s eyes flitted to Will again. “But I’m sure your Ranger knows.”

  Will grunted noncommittally. Niet seemed nice enough but he wasn’t certain he wanted to discuss these things with Serena’s squire. “Might.”

  “He saved my life, Will. Mine, and Kalia’s, and Eldin’s too. Serena might have her reasons not to trust him, but I’ve got my reasons now to trust him. I wish I’d trusted him sooner,” Niet muttered. Colin shifted uncomfortably but Will met the older squire’s piercing glower. “I know you want answers too, I heard you talking to Ross. They’re planning a council tonight and I think we can get our answers there.”

  “Councils are only for knights,” Will said flatly, shaking his head. “And that stairwell is being guarded.”

  “You’ve already considered that though, haven’t you?” Colin said, startling Will as he broke his disapproving silence and frowned at Niet. “You already know that.”

  “I do. Kalia already tried to get an invite as Princess but was told no,” Niet said hesitantly. “But I’ve got to know I can trust you two if we’re going to try, because the plan will help us get answers, but it isn’t the…um…safest.”

  Will turned to Colin, brows raised in silent question. After a moment, Colin groaned, running his hand through his hair. “Fine, I’m in. Rowan will probably be too. But I swear, Will, Niet, if you two get us killed…”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Training with the Kelkor squires was actually more fun than Will would have wanted to admit. Eldin was quite good with
a sword, though it was a bit too large for her, much like the horse, and she ended up doing best with one of the baton daggers. She also had Serena’s skill of getting a rider off their horses, knocking Colin into the dirt twice, much to the amusement of Will and Rowan. As far as they were concerned, it was good for Colin to fall. He won too often.

  Niet, far too large and skilled to make a fair fight, ended up training against Haru. The two were a relatively even match–Niet was quick but tended to get bold in his attacks, Haru was stronger and more deliberate–and by the time that Ross announced it was time for all of them to quit, Will and the others had cheered and yelled themselves hoarse. Even Kalia, who had sat on the fence to watch, was breathless and red when they were all dismounting.

  Will and Colin were eager to fill in Rowan on what Niet had discussed–the plan to somehow overhear the council–but that opportunity was lost as soon as they left the jousting field and found Laster leaning on the castle wall, glowering at them.

  “Oh no,” Rowan mumbled, hunching in an attempt to hide behind Will, seeming to forget he was leading a massive horse. “I’m so dead.”

  “Told you so,” Colin said dryly.

  “Shut up, Greyhead.”

  “Rockwood, Rowan, a word?” Laster called, straightening.

  Rockwood turned to look at Rowan, rolling his eyes. “Alamore, what did you do now?”

  “It was nice to get to meet him before he dies,” Eldin commented, coming to stand next to Will while they watched Rowan slink toward Rockwood and Laster.

  The others moved toward the barn where Will was hopeful to find out more about Niet’s plan but was disappointed when Haru joined them and began talking to the Kelkor squire about the battle tactics more often used in the coastal country. Not until they had entered the hall, where the tantalizing smells of dinner made Will’s mouth water, did Haru depart from their side to join the knights. The four squires moved toward their own table, where any chance of a covert discussion was impossible. Gabe and Jerram were eagerly telling everyone about their training, Gabe bouncing in his seat, Jerram trying to act more refined but making sure he showed everyone the bruise he’d given himself when he’d accidentally punched himself in the face.